Posts filed under ‘Mobile Web’
Who are the Big 3 in the War in the cloud?
A quick primer to the main providers of CRM in the cloud and currently battling it out:
1. Microsoft Dynamics CRM
“If you are an Outlook shop, Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a no brainer. The application’s core offering is your standard fare CRM feature set, but it is adding social media functionality as fast as it can.“
2. Oracle Public Cloud
“brings its formidable database and business application bona fides — of which CRM is just one part — to the cloud.“
3. Salesforce.com
Just need someone to solve that issue of integrating external ticketing software/service transactions for those stuck in venues with exclsuive ticketing contracts …
17 November, 2011 at 12:04 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
Will you be stumbling around with Yumbling as your Entertainment Concierge?
I am not so sure about the name Yumbling, but it is an interesting development nonetheless.
“a free mobile app that recommends local entertainment options based on the user’s current location and preferences.“
This appears to be more than other apps like Urbanspoon which is more like a location based directory and in their words a “provider of time-critical dining data“. This covers a growing selection of entertainment options. They fine tune (or increase relevance of) recommendations by using what they call a “social DNA” algorithm.
“it factors in not only the user’s location, but also what it has learned of their tastes, and reportedly even contextual factors such as the time of day. Users who download the app … begin by creating a basic profile that includes some of their personal likes and dislikes. Yumbling logs this information, but also refines its understanding of the user over time based on their use of the app.“
It is device agnostic, available for iPhone, BlackBerry and Nokia devices.
7 November, 2011 at 1:47 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
Near Field Communication (NFC) and Ticketing … soon?
The video is not new now (2007), but it seems that everyone is only keener now to roll out NFC, we may be just waiting for ticketing providers and venues to support NFC.
PayPal has been trying out mobile to mobile payments via ‘bumping’ in PayPal bringing NFC to Australia in months
Visa and ANZ have been trialling NFC this year as reported in NFC Is Coming To Australia Sooner Than Later
Coming to a turnstile near you … soon
18 October, 2011 at 11:22 am Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
Will Apple still influence ticketing?
Back in April last year FULL HOUSES floated the possibility that ‘Apple is patently on the move into ticketing‘ and this was followed by ‘Apple Adds to Future Ticketing Potential of the iPhone‘.
It appears that NFC did not make it to the very recent iPhone 4S, but there is always the much vaunted iPhone 5 … stay tuned.
With the explosion in the adoption of mobile devices and mobile online access, enhancements like this can only be a matter of time.
Another proprietary interest trying to control ticketing or corral a section of the market is not desirable at this stage, however the groundbreaking innovation that Apple was reknowned for under Jobs may be just what the doctor ordered.
8 October, 2011 at 2:00 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 1 comment
The Influences of Mobile Commerce on Shopping Behaviour
Diane Greig Senior Partner @CultureSparks spotted this article: 4 Ways Smartphones Are Changing Consumer Shopping Behavior
“Two-thirds of smartphone or tablet owners have used their devices to make purchases and more than 80% have used them to help in the purchase decision.“
The L.E.K. Consulting Mobile Commerce Survey identified four trends that businesses should monitor:
- Price Harmonization:
- Deeper Customer Relationships:
- Social Media Influence:
- Flash Retailers:
Download the full Report online here>>
3 September, 2011 at 3:30 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
Do You Understand The Difference Between Apps and Mobile Websites?
Drew McManus provides a good overview on the Adaptistration blog of the difference between apps and a mobile website in Understanding The Difference Between Apps and Mobile Websites
Included is a neat summary of the pros and cons of the two approaches which he describes in very accessible terms:
“apps function separately from your existing website and a mobile website is a variation of your existing website.“
Drew does sneak in a little plug for the Venture Platform which they describe as a mobile ready architecture, but I think we can excuse him that for such useful information.
For arts and entertainment organisations the big question to consider is Does your organisation wish to facilitate customer transactions i.e. sell tickets etc.?
This question is addressed in a FULL HOUSES post from last year.
Which way are you leaning – Mobile Web or an App?
23 August, 2011 at 3:30 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia 1 comment
VISA throws its weight behind NFC contactless payments, but will Apple?
It appears that Apple is still vacillating on whether iPhone 5 will handle NFC. Although some blaggards have already hacked iPhone 4 to enable NFC, bless ‘em.
But fear not – VISA has entered the frey. Although the initiative is not entirely altruistic and carries some bad news for merchants with respect to bearing the cost of fraud (rather than the card company).
Nonetheless, this will definitely facilitate the move online with transactions keeping pace seamlessly.
If Apple don’t deliver with the iPhone – we can be sure that other alternatives will. Stay tuned!
Visa lays out aggressive plan for mobile payment push
11 August, 2011 at 5:55 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
CASE STUDY: Ticketing on your mobile
An entry in the 2011 Australian Mobile Awards in the Online Shoping & Payments category – Ticketing on your mobile with Moshtix.
There are a variety of notable elements in this implementation:
- Mobile optimised site – not an app.
- Ticket delivery via a mobile barcode allowing scanning direct on the phone – no paper ticket or physical fulfillment
- PayPal integration
- After purchase ticket buyers receive an SMS linking to their mobile barcode ticket
- Integration with Google Maps
- Social sharing of events through Facebook and Twitter
- Forwarding of tickets to friends from the same mobile
9 August, 2011 at 6:27 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
The Tangled Web that Social Media Weaves
Theatre Bay Area commissioned Devon Smith of 24 Useable Hours (now Threespot in Washington, DC) to conduct a Social Media Audit of the arts and cultural sector.
The results have just been published and provide a valuable insight into a rapidly evolving area that seems to be characterised by enthusiastic adopters and sceptical recalcitrants, and little in between.
The study looks at 207 cultural organisations using over 20 networking platforms. I am not sure how internationally representative the sample is, but it does include a sprinkling of non-US organisations.
Two interesting top line findings are:
- The average arts organisation is active on 3 social networks (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) and uploads 66 new pieces of content each month.
- Facebook Pages that are updated multiple times per day, use a customized URL and feature a custom Welcome tab have more fans, who interact with the page more often, than those who do not.
The full report is available online here: “The Tangled Web: Social Media in the Arts”
It is well worth a read.
16 June, 2011 at 2:07 pm Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
Foursquare ‘Explore’ Tab offers new venue discovery options
I am not a big fan of the term “Social CRM
” as I think it distracts from the larger strategic focus of CRM by concentrating on one new medium.
Foursquare has allowed consumers a means for “sharing their activities and loyalty with their social network ” and a means for venues to allegedly attract new customers and reward the loyalty of existing customers.
Recent enhancements announced at South by Southwest (SXSW) may be taking Foursquare to a new level as described in Foursquare Upgrade Enhances Marketer Appeal.
It is adding more levels of potential engagement, rather than just a Mayor - “Previously, the most frequent patrons at some locations were named “Mayor” and were rewarded with special treatment by many businesses.”
The article also discusses the possibilities of “a new form of search optimization; B2C merchants will want to be sure their businesses show up at the top of Foursquare search results.“
“As we started to tinker with our recommendations algorithms, we started to see “expertise” starting to emerge from the data – we’re seeing friends that have been to every karaoke place within 10 miles or tried every burger in Los Angeles. … letting you seek guidance from your friends on the categories and places they explore most.“
It will be interesting to see where this development leads.
5 April, 2011 at 10:57 am Tim Roberts ARTS Australia Leave a comment
